If you love dancing into the wee hours of the morning, discovering new music, and nerding out over high-quality sound systems, Signal may just be the place for you.
Last month, intimate 210-capacity nightclub Signal opened its doors at 175 Morgan Avenue — and while you may not be able to tell from the outside, there’s a lot going on behind said doors.
“It’s doing really well,” Margaux Allard, who works in marketing for Signal, said. “I think better than we expected in terms of how people are talking about Signal online and understanding what we’re trying to achieve.”
Led by a founding team of Joshua Buhler, Leonard Fink, and Nicholas Spector, the nightclub was created to be culturally relevant to NYC specifically and tap into the diverse underground music culture here through thoughtful and curated programming.
“New York is a city that has a huge history with nightlife and I feel like it’s having a breath of fresh air right now, especially in the techno scene,” Allard noted. “We really want to give a platform to organizers and artists who make New York what it is.”
This weekend, Signal is hosting sets from Dana Ruh, Jacopo Latini, Dayna C b2b DeBease; part 1 of a Golden Records NYC 24-hour session with Melchior productions, Maayan Nidam, Barbara Preisinger, Felix HK, Justin Shaffer, Jamie Jar; and J&J’s Repairs w/ Mike Servito b2b Shaun J. Wright, Justin Cudmore, and Jeffrey Sfire. They also just announced their month-long Pride programming.
The founding team also has a history with nightlife, with Buhler and Spector having years of programming, promoting, and organizing in music under their belts (with their brands Export and Golden Records NYC, respectively) while Fink has a longstanding passion for sound tech.
And the tech is a huge part of the whole operation. Designed to be an “acoustics-first” venue (in their own words) by Fink and designer and architect Jack, the space houses three discrete sound systems, including a d&b Audiotechnik club system and separate high-fidelity systems from Genelec and Neptune Audio.
“All the design, everything that is placed in the club and the way the architecture is, ceiling or wood floor, everything has been chosen for the way it absorbs and reflects sound,” Allard explained. “Even the DJ booths, the windows, the skylight, everything in the club has been thought of in a way that builds the perfect sound for people on the dance floor.”
And to ensure the acoustics and music are properly appreciated, the club also has a no-photos, no-videos policy and aims to keep phones off the dancefloor entirely. (House of Yes just recently also enacted a similar policy.)
“We strive to curate a crowd through our programming and through what we are at Signal that comes to the club and it’s a no-brainer for them that they’re not having a conversation or looking at the phone or taking a picture in the middle of the crowd, just huge energy and people expressing themselves,” Allard said. “So far, so good.”
Signal also has a food and drink program, with a snacking-type food menu by Josh Cohen rooted in the flavors of Spanish tapas (like croquettes, patatas bravas, marinated olives, and mushroom escabeche) and beverage direction from Sean Struss that includes specialty cocktails, natural wine, beer, and a large zero-proof offering.
Signal is open from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and 3 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.